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Saturday, February 13, 2016

Made by a Fabricista: A Fringed Tamarack by Grainline!

Maybe you've figured this out, but I really love sewing with wool, and I love making jackets. So for this month's contribution to Fabric Mart, I choose this lovely wool that has a slight hint of some sparkle in it. I wish I could have captured it with my camera! Trust me, the sparkle is there.

I knew I wanted to make a jacket with the lining quilted to the wool and when I came across this newish pattern from Grainline, called the Tamarack, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for!

The style is classic, there isn't a lot of fitting, and it looks like the jacket would look great on a variety of figures. I eliminated using the batting between the lining and the wool. Had I used a cotton or a similar lightweight fabric then I would have used the extra layer of warmth. I also thought it would be fun to use this 'suede' to trim the jacket. I love mixing wool with other fabrics that you might not expect.

Construction of this jacket is easy-peasy and it gives you some room to play with your fabric. I decided at the last minute to add the fringed trim to the cuffs and the neckline to give the jacket a unique look.

To make your own fringe from wool fabric, cut strips of your fabric either on the lengthwise or crosswise grains, about twice the width of what you'd like it to finish as. On one side of the width of the fabric, stitch, sort of like staystitching. This wool was pretty ravely so I decided to serge the side that would be enclosed in the trim. Fray the side not staystitched and trim as necessary to give you the finished width you prefer. Baste the trim to the jacket and apply the finish. In this case, my finish was bias cut pieces of the 'suede' that I cut in 2.5 inch strips. I applied the trim to the jackets right side, folded the edge to the inside and then stitched the trim by hand to the lining.

Do you have fun with lining colors? I thought about black or gray but decided on this spring green color which is much more evident in the photo above this one. I am so ready for spring temps to arrive and this brightened my mood as I stitched the wool to the lining in a grid pattern.

This wool behaved beautifully! See how nice the sleeve hangs along with how well the sleeve was set into the garment? One thing to remember when you are working with a wool that has a novelty thread running through it is to use a press cloth so the fibers don't melt. It is a good idea to test iron a scrap of your fabric so you don't make any big mistakes on your garment!

I love how the shoulders are slightly dropped and the easy fit of the back. The shaped hemlines are also pretty cool and lend a nice component to this jacket. I did make my standard alterations to this jacket: 1/2" swayback adjustment, 1/2" FBA, and 1/4" sloping shoulder adjustment. I am 5'7" and the jacket length and sleeve length are perfect.

Those welt pockets are nice and deep and in a great position on the garment. I really like them trimmed with the suede.

I needed these nice deep pockets today! It is cold outside!

This jacket has hook and eye closures and I just laid them out how I wanted them spaced on the front.I like my new jacket! It is warm and comfortable and I love the fabrics I choose!